Friday, December 28, 2007

I haven't paid much attention to the cigarette tax that's coming up, mostly because I don't smoke. I don't agree with it because it's just another stupid tax to take money away from people who want to make bad decisions in life. As I was reading an article on wisn.com today though, this particular line caught my eye.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids predicts the higher tax will stop nearly 66,000 Wisconsin children from starting smoking. And it will make 33,300 smokers quit.

First of all, I highly doubt that the cost of cigarettes will stop children from smoking. At that age, it's a peer thing. Of course, I suppose that at any age it's a peer thing, as there's no good reason to start smoking. But aside from that, since when has it become the government's right to stop anyone from smoking something that is perfectly legal? Why should it be the government's job to "make" people quit by raising taxes? Is this just another feel-good-ism type of tax that's supposed to "fix" some "problem" that they've come up with? Yes, there are probably people who will finally quit smoking because of the cost. Likely, they wanted to quit before but didn't have a good enough reason. However, I doubt it will affect that much, certainly not the numbers they're predicting anyway.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Alice Cochran Conard

Alice Cochran Conard, 99 years of age, passed away Friday, December 21, 2007, at the Woodhaven Care Center in Ellinwood, KS. She was born May 2, 1908 at Goodwin, Oklahoma, the daughter of Alva W. and Verna May Hadley Cochran. The family moved to Rice, Kansas, when Alice was six months old. She was baptized September 18, 1921, at the Rice, KS Methodist Episcopal Church.

Alice was a teacher and a minister's wife. She was a graduate of Concordia High School and Kansas State Teachers College (later Emporia State University). She taught in the Cloud County rural schools and in Esbon, Hill City, and Norton before going to Great Bend in 1944.

She was married to the Rev. Arlyn E. Conard on November 22, 1962, in Great Bend, KS. He died November 21, 1980. She was also preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Hal; a sister, Dorothy Claycamp and her husband, Glenn; and by a niece, Shirley Holechek.

She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Great Bend, the United Methodist Women, NRTA division of AARP, EHU units, and Utopian Club. She had life memberships in the American Association of University Women, Delta Kappa Gamma, Kansas Retired School Personnel Association, and ESU Alumni Association. At one time or another, she served as president for most of these organizations.

Her interests and hobbies included reading, crafts, and travel. Her travels included Canada, Mexico, the South Sea Islands, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Greece, Panama, many European counties, and most of the states in the United States.

She is survived by a step-son, Mark Conard, and his wife, Joyce, of Hutchinson, KS; a foster daughter, Edna Sipp, and her husband, Cliff, of Pleasanton, NE; three grandchildren: Jonathan Conard and his wife, Melissa, of Junction City, KS; Andrew Conard and his wife, Nicole, of Overland Park, KS; and Kristin Conard of Edison, NJ; a great granddaughter, Katie Aspen Conard, of Junction City, KS; a sister-in-law, Eldora Conard, of Timken, KS; a nephew, Kenneth Claycamp, and his wife, Joleen, of Cuba, KS; three nieces: Lois Boettcher and her husband, Norm, of Solomon, KS; Loretta Cudney and her husband, Dave, of Riverside, CA; and Verla Hill and her husband, Dan, of Scottsbluff, NE; and by many great nieces and great nephews.

I'm sorry, but Mary, riding on a donkey, right before she gave birth, I don't think I could have managed that. I can barely sit on a chair, let alone a donkey. But, I suppose when you're carrying the Savior in your womb, you're bound to try to do things you wouldn't normally do, right? Still, that had to hurt.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

My great Aunt Alice (actually great great, I think) died last night. She was 99 years old. She would have been 100 in May. I knew she wouldn't last much longer, but it's still a bit of a shock. I have so many memories of visiting her house and her showing off all the interesting things she'd picked up on her travels. I remember even just 10 or 15 years ago she was still going on African safaris and the like. She was always such a strong woman.

* May 10 - Mother's Day is observed for the first time (Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia). * May 13 - Young Turks start revolution in the Ottoman Empire, and force sultan Abdul Hamid II to adhere to the constitution of 1876. * May 24 - Empire Day is accepted as the traditional formation date of the 1st Arundel (Earl of Arundel's) Own Scout Group, although Scouting was probably active in Arundel prior to this date. * May 26 - At Masjid-al-Salaman in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made. The rights to the resource are quickly acquired by the United Kingdom.

Friday, December 21, 2007

You'd think the parents could control themselves a little here. I wonder what the fight was about though. One of those "My kid is better than your kid" kind of things? How embarrassing for the kids though. And the parents are banned from future events. Do you think that's just for this year, or for the rest of the kid's school careers?

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has received a $500 campaign donation from a white supremacist, and the Texas congressman doesn't plan to return it, an aide said Wednesday.

Don Black, of West Palm Beach, Fla., recently made the donation, according to campaign filings. He runs a Web site called Stormfront with the motto, "White Pride World Wide." The site welcomes postings to the "Stormfront White Nationalist Community."

"Dr. Paul stands for freedom, peace, prosperity and inalienable rights. If someone with small ideologies happens to contribute money to Ron, thinking he can influence Ron in any way, he's wasted his money," Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said. "Ron is going to take the money and try to spread the message of freedom.

"And that's $500 less that this guy has to do whatever it is that he does," Benton added.Black said he supports Paul's stance on ending the war in Iraq, securing America's borders and his opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"We know that he's not a white nationalist. He says he isn't and we believe him, but on the issues, there's only one choice," Black said Wednesday.

On his Web site, Black says he has been involved in "the White patriot movement for 30 years."

The Web site LoneStarTimes first reported on Black's donation on Oct. 25.

I think this is good. He knows the person that donated the money doesn't agree with everything he says, and is perhaps promoting things that are morally wrong. That, however, is the beauty of freedom. We all have the freedom to make dumb decisions, believe in things that are wrong, dislike someone for the color of their skin or the tenets of their faith, and the freedom to live in a country where we can make those mistakes. That's not to say there won't be repercussions for our actions, should we choose to do something outside the scope of the law, but we still have the freedom to make that decision in the first place. That's what I love about Ron Paul. That, and he's just so darn cute!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Sunday, December 2, 2007

I am just shocked by this story about a man who is being charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child.

What truly bothers me, is that the man is being charged with intentional homicide for giving his girlfriend an abortion pill. Why is it, that when a woman willingly chooses to abort her baby by taking that same pill, is it alright, and perfectly legal? Why is it, that a woman can choose to have her baby murdered by a "doctor", and it is perfectly legal? Yet, a man, who is the father of that same child, cannot have the same say in the child's life?

All life is sacred, and should be treated as such. The choice of whether a child should live or die should not be in the hands of the mother or the father, or a doctor or a pill.

Lydia! Thanks for entering! Please visit my Etsy shop, and tell me which purse you'd like to have. Then email me at shanawoodman (at) hotmail (dot) com with your selection and mailing information, and I will get that out to you within a few days.

In the spirit of my upcoming birthday, I have decided to give away one of my purses. I have been making purses like they're going out of style, and I have amassed several. I currently have several already made up and for sale in my Etsy Shop BeStitched, and I have a few more I'm finishing right now. They will be up on the site within the next week or so.

So, here's how this contest will work.

1. Go check out the purses section of BeStitched.2. Put a link on your site to this contest AND BeStitched.3. Leave your link on Mr. Linky, and you will be entered.

The contest will close at midnight on Saturday December 1st. I will announce the winner on my birthday, Sunday December 2nd, sometime before the end of the day.